David Bakhtiari’s time with the Green Bay Packers might be nearing its end if general manager Brian Gutekunst’s bleak comments are any indication.

During his February 1 news conference, Gutekunst spoke openly about his plans for several of the Packers’ key players during the 2024 offseason. He wants to work on a long-term extension for quarterback Jordan Love. He “absolutely” wants running back Aaron Jones back next season. And he won’t be trading cornerback Jaire Alexander.

Gutekunst’s words were less certain, though, when it came to questions about Bakhtiari.

“We’re still at the very beginning stages of looking at how we’re going to move forward with all that,” Gutekunst said. “Obviously, David’s been through a really rough stretch with the injuries stuff. He’s going through a very major surgery, trying to get back to being able to play. We’re monitoring that. I know he’s working his tail off. Once we get down the road and see where he’s at, health-wise, we’ll kinda make those decisions.”

The Packers have a critical decision to make about the future of their five-time All-Pro left tackle in 2024. He has remained consistently elite when healthy enough to play, but the 32-year-old has also missed 41 games since January 2021 as a result of recovery or issues related to his surgically repaired knee, including 16 games in 2023 after a new setback forced him to undergo another season-ending surgery.

To make things worse, Gutekunst said Bakhtiari’s recovery timeline is “not a short one.”

“He’s in the middle of it,” Gutekunst said. “This is not a short one. It’s going to take some time. Obviously, you guys know his work ethic and how important it is for him to get back to playing, but it was a tough one, so he’s got a ways to go.”

David Bakhtiari’s Contract Too Expensive for 2024

Gutekunst said the Packers want to monitor David Bakhtiari’s recovery process and see how he progresses before making any decisions, but the salary cap might not let them.

Bakhtiari is entering the final year of the four-year, $92 million contract extension that he signed with the Packers in November 2020, about a month before he tore his ACL. He is also carrying a $40 million cap hit into 2024, which would be the largest cap hit among left tackles by a large margin — about $8.44 million ahead of Trent Williams.

Green Bay might be looking for ways to reduce that number even if Bakhtiari had played every game for them in 2023, but his uncertain health makes it untenable.

According to Over the Cap, the Packers are roughly $7.3 million over the cap in terms of effective cap space and must work to get under that number before the start of the new league year on March 13. They have several cap-saving levers they can pull to get in the black before then, including possible extensions and restructures, but one of their best options for clearing space remains cutting Bakhtiari, which would save $20.9 million.

Could Packers Find Trade Partner for David Bakhtiari?

The Packers have more options than simply cutting Bakhtiari. They could restructure his contract to add void years, spreading out his earnings and lowering his 2024 cap hit. If they truly believe he can bounce back and return to form for them, they could also consider signing him to another extension that would accomplish the same thing.

What about a potential trade for David Bakhtiari, though?

The Packers could save the same amount against the cap — $20.9 million — if they found a trade partner for Bakhtiari this offseason, but his health is a major deterrent. Any acquiring team would need to be certain, within a reasonable degree, that he would be able to return to the field for them in 2024. Even then, teams might rather just wait for the Packers to cut him so that they can sign him to a deal on their own terms.

The Packers have gotten creative before, but they might be boxed in on this.